Hierarchical and intelligent distributed controllers for an access network

ABSTRACT

Aspects include identifying an application executed by a communication device, identifying a first edge device capable of providing a first portion of a service in accordance with a first access technology and a second edge device capable of providing the first portion of the service in accordance with a second access technology that is different from the first access technology, selecting one of the first edge device or the second edge device as a first selected edge device, wherein the selecting is based on the identifying of the application, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the communication device in accordance with the access technology of the first selected edge device to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first portion of the service from the first selected edge device to the communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to hierarchical and intelligent distributed controllers for an access network.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, as part of a network topology, a user equipment (UE) accessing services via a network is connected to a given service in a point-to-point manner. For example, the given service may be provisioned to the UE via a core service layer and one or more control/transport layers. However, current trends in network topology/architecture design include relocating functionality or devices/components typically associated with the core to locations in closer proximity to UEs (frequently referred to in the art as a relocation to “the edge” of a network).

Adding further complexity is the fact that many UEs are now capable of (simultaneously) communicating over more than one type of network. For example, a first network may provide a high degree (e.g., a high throughput) of data with a limited (geographic) scope of coverage, whereas a second network may provide a low degree (e.g., a low throughput) of data with a wide (geographic) scope of coverage. In this regard, a UE engaged in a streaming video service session, may connect to the first network in order to obtain sufficient throughput of data (potentially buffering some of the data that is received), while relying on (e.g., engaging in a handover to) the second network in the event that connectivity with the first network is compromised (e.g., lost). More generally, transitions between networks represent a challenge in terms of both a management and control of resources from the perspective of a network operator/service provider, as well as providing a sufficient quality of experience (QoE) from the perspective of a user operating the UE.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment of a communications network in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of a mobile edge computing (MEC) device in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2C is a block diagram of a multi-access function (MAF) device in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2D depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized communication network in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a computing environment in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a mobile network platform in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a communication device in accordance with various aspects described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrative embodiments for seamlessly managing communication sessions with respect to multiple devices and/or multiple radio access networks and technologies. Other embodiments are described in the subject disclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include obtaining a request associated with a service from a user equipment, wherein the request comprises at least one credential associated with: the user equipment, a user of the user equipment, or a combination thereof, responsive to the obtaining of the request, verifying that the request is valid by comparing the at least one credential with a plurality (e.g., a database) of verified credentials, identifying at least a first parameter responsive to the verifying, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with a service license agreement, the user equipment, a first edge device of a plurality of edge devices, or any combination thereof, selecting one of the first edge device or a second edge device of the plurality of edge devices in accordance with the at least a first parameter, resulting in a first selected edge device, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the user equipment to provide at least a part of the service to the user equipment.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include selecting a first edge device of a communication network to provide a first part of a service to a user equipment that is subscribed to the service, establishing a communication session between the first edge device and the user equipment in accordance with a first access technology to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first part of the service to the user equipment, determining that at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below a threshold, and responsive to the determining that the at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below the threshold, handing-over the communication session to a second edge device to facilitate a transfer of second data associated with a second part of the service to the user equipment, wherein the second edge device utilizes a second access technology to facilitate the transfer of the second data, and wherein the second access technology is different from the first access technology.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include identifying an application executed by a communication device in accordance with a service, identifying a first edge device of a communication network capable of providing a first portion of the service in accordance with a first access technology and a second edge device of the communication network capable of providing the first portion of the service in accordance with a second access technology that is different from the first access technology, selecting one of the first edge device or the second edge device as a first selected edge device, wherein the selecting of the first selected edge device is based on the identifying of the application, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the communication device in accordance with the access technology of the first selected edge device to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first portion of the service from the first selected edge device to the communication device.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram is shown illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a communications network 100 in accordance with various aspects described herein. For example, communications network 100 can facilitate in whole or in part obtaining a request associated with a service from a user equipment, wherein the request comprises at least one credential associated with the user equipment, a user of the user equipment, or a combination thereof, responsive to the obtaining of the request, verifying that the request is valid by comparing the at least one credential with a plurality of verified credentials, identifying at least a first parameter responsive to the verifying, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with a service license agreement, the user equipment, a first edge device of a plurality of edge devices, or any combination thereof, selecting the first edge device or a second edge device of the plurality of edge devices in accordance with the at least a first parameter, resulting in a first selected edge device, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the user equipment to provide at least a part of the service to the user equipment. Communications network 100 can facilitate in whole or in part selecting a first edge device of a communication network to provide a first part of a service to a user equipment that is subscribed to the service, establishing a communication session between the first edge device and the user equipment in accordance with a first access technology to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first part of the service to the user equipment, determining that at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below a threshold, and responsive to the determining that the at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below the threshold, handing-over the communication session to a second edge device to facilitate a transfer of second data associated with a second part of the service to the user equipment, wherein the second edge device utilizes a second access technology to facilitate the transfer of the second data, and wherein the second access technology is different from the first access technology. Communications network 100 can facilitate in whole or in part identifying an application executed by a communication device in accordance with a service, identifying a first edge device of a communication network capable of providing a first portion of the service in accordance with a first access technology and a second edge device of the communication network capable of providing the first portion of the service in accordance with a second access technology that is different from the first access technology, selecting one of the first edge device or the second edge device as a first selected edge device, wherein the selecting of the first selected edge device is based on the identifying of the application, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the communication device in accordance with the access technology of the first selected edge device to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first portion of the service from the first selected edge device to the communication device.

As shown in FIG. 1, a communications network 125 is presented for providing broadband access 110 to a plurality of data terminals 114 via access terminal 112, wireless access 120 to a plurality of mobile devices 124 and vehicle 126 via base station or access point 122, voice access 130 to a plurality of telephony devices 134, via switching device 132 and/or media access 140 to a plurality of audio/video display devices 144 via media terminal 142. In addition, communication network 125 is coupled to one or more content sources 175 of audio, video, graphics, text and/or other media. While broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130 and media access 140 are shown separately, one or more of these forms of access can be combined to provide multiple access services to a single client device (e.g., mobile devices 124 can receive media content via media terminal 142, data terminal 114 can be provided voice access via switching device 132, and so on).

The communications network 125 includes a plurality of network elements (NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. for facilitating the broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or the distribution of content from content sources 175. The communications network 125 can include a circuit switched or packet switched network, a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network, Internet protocol (IP) network, a cable network, a passive or active optical network, a 4G, 5G, or higher generation wireless access network, WIMAX network, UltraWideband network, personal area network or other wireless access network, a broadcast satellite network and/or other communications network.

In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem termination system (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other access terminal. The data terminals 114 can include personal computers, laptop computers, netbook computers, tablets or other computing devices along with digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, data over coax service interface specification (DOCSIS) modems or other cable modems, a wireless modem such as a 4G, 5G, or higher generation modem, an optical modem and/or other access devices.

In various embodiments, the base station or access point 122 can include a 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station, an access point that operates via an 802.11 standard such as 802.11n, 802.11ac or other wireless access terminal. The mobile devices 124 can include mobile phones, e-readers, tablets, phablets, wireless modems, and/or other mobile computing devices.

In various embodiments, the switching device 132 can include a private branch exchange or central office switch, a media services gateway, VoIP gateway or other gateway device and/or other switching device. The telephony devices 134 can include traditional telephones (with or without a terminal adapter), VoIP telephones and/or other telephony devices.

In various embodiments, the media terminal 142 can include a cable head-end or other TV head-end, a satellite receiver, gateway or other media terminal 142. The display devices 144 can include televisions with or without a set top box, personal computers and/or other display devices.

In various embodiments, the content sources 175 include broadcast television and radio sources, video on demand platforms and streaming video and audio services platforms, one or more content data networks, data servers, web servers and other content servers, and/or other sources of media.

In various embodiments, the communications network 125 can include wired, optical and/or wireless links and the network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. can include service switching points, signal transfer points, service control points, network gateways, media distribution hubs, servers, firewalls, routers, edge devices, switches and other network nodes for routing and controlling communications traffic over wired, optical and wireless links as part of the Internet and other public networks as well as one or more private networks, for managing subscriber access, for billing and network management and for supporting other network functions.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a system 200 a functioning within, or operatively overlaid upon, the communication network 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects described herein. For reasons that will become clearer below, the system 200 a may be referred to as a hierarchical, distributed system, whereby devices/components and functionality may be located proximate to communication devices (e.g., user equipment [UE]) that access services via the system 200 a.

The system 200 a may include one or more core networks (e.g., core network 202 a) and one or more access networks (e.g., access network 206 a). The core network 202 a and the access network 206 a may be communicatively coupled to one another. As part of providing services (e.g., communication services) in the system 200 a, the core network 202 a may manage high-level tasks, such as managing a user's/subscriber's account with a given service. For example, the core network 202 a may be responsible for processing user/subscriber payments as part of a service/license agreement between the user/subscriber and the service. The core network 202 a may also be responsible for maintaining security in the system 200 a.

The access network 206 a may host one or more mobile edge computing (MEC) devices, such as for example a first MEC 210 a-1 and a second MEC 210 a-2. The first MEC 210 a-1 and the second MEC 210 a-2 may be communicatively coupled to one another for purposes of managing one or more communication sessions associated with one or more communication devices.

In some embodiments, one or both of the MECs 210 a-1 and 210 a-2 may be coupled to one or more multi-access function (MAF) devices. For example, the first MEC 210 a-1 may be coupled to a first MAF 214 a-1, a second MAF 214 a-2, and a third MAF 214 a-3. Similarly, the second MEC 210 a-2 may be coupled to the third MAF 214 a-3, a fourth MAF 214 a-4, and a fifth MAF 214 a-5. One or more of the MAFs may be coupled to one or more other MAFs; for example, the third MAF 214 a-3 may be coupled to the fourth MAF 214 a-4 as shown in FIG. 2A. As described in further detail below, the MAFs may implement one or more policies or functions as part of a provisioning of services in the system 200 a.

As described above, the system 200 a may be used to provide services to communication devices. To demonstrate, FIG. 2A illustrates a communication device corresponding to a mobile communication device that relocates from a first position/location (represented via reference character 218 a-1) to a second position/location (represented via reference character 218 a-2).

When in the first position 218 a-1, the communication device may initiate/request access to a given service. In response to that request, the access network 206 a may establish a communication session with the communication device via the first MEC 210 a-1 and one or more of the MAFs 214 a-1 through 214 a-3. Thereafter, the communication device may relocate from the first position 218 a-1 to the second position 218 a-2 while the communication session is ongoing. The relocation of the communication device from the first position 218 a-1 to the second position 218 a-2 may result in the communication device being outside of the communication range of the first MEC 210 a-1. In this respect, the access network 206 a may port/transfer the communication session to the second MEC 210 a-2 and one or both of the MAFs 214 a-4 and 214 a-5 as shown in FIG. 2A. The porting/transfer of the communication session may adhere to principles of Internet Protocol (IP) persistency, which is to say that an address (e.g., an IP address) assigned to the communication device may be maintained during and after the transfer for purposes of consistency with the core network 202 a. Such IP persistency may be prevalent in relation to, e.g., maintaining security in the system 200 a.

Referring now to FIG. 2B, a diagram of a MEC 210 b is shown. The MEC 210 b may correspond to the first MEC 210 a-1 or the second MEC 210 a-2 of FIG. 2A. The MEC 210 b may include one or more multi-access controllers (MACs), such as for example a first MAC 230 b-1 and a second MAC 230 b-2. The MACs 230 b-1 and 230 b-2 may be communicatively coupled with one another in order to share/exchange information as part of provisioning services in a system (e.g., the system 200 a of FIG. 2A). The MACs 230 b-1 and 230 b may be communicatively coupled with one or more MAFs (e.g., MAFs 214 a-1 through 214 a-3 of FIG. 2A) as part of the provisioning of the services.

As shown in FIG. 2B, a MAC (e.g., the first MAC 230 b-1) may include a database (DB) 234 b. The DB 234 b may store/maintain parameters associated with one or more services, such as for example a first service 238 b-1, a second service 238 b-2, and a third service 238 b-3. The services 238 b-1 through 238 b-3 may be associated with one or more applications that may be at least partially executed by a communication device. One or more of the services 238 b-1 through 238 b-3 may be administered/stored/maintained by the DB 234 b as a micro-service.

The parameters of the DB 234 b may pertain to control plane functions (CPFs) and/or user plane functions (UPFs). For example, the CPFs may incorporate aspects of service level agreements (SLAs), billing, application interfaces (AIs), code exchange technologies, etc. The UPFs may be responsible for obtaining and transferring content/data associated with applications executing on a (recipient) communication device.

The parameters of the DB 234 b may serve as inputs to infrastructure 242 b. In some embodiments, the infrastructure 242 b may correspond to, or include, a radio intelligent controller (RIC). A RIC 242 b may oversee/manage aspects of resource congestion and availability, potentially as a function of load experienced in a given system. In this regard, the RIC 242 b may be responsible for selecting particular devices or components to provision aspects of a given service (e.g., the first service 238 b-1) with respect to one or more communication devices.

With respect to the given service, the infrastructure 242 b may obtain as an input data or content 246 b associated with the service. For example, in the context of a streaming video service, the content 246 b may include data associated with a given movie. Similarly, in the context of a streaming audio service, the content 246 b may include data associated with a given song, audio track, or album by a particular musician/artist. At least part of the content 246 b may be provided by the infrastructure 242 b to the communication device (via one or more MAFs, in some embodiments) requesting the service in accordance with the parameters of the DB 234 b.

In some embodiments, the MEC 210 b may include a network session management function (nSMF, or SMF for short) 252 b. The nSMF 252 b may be responsible for managing/maintaining a communication session (associated with a requested service) with a given communication device. In this respect, the nSMF 252 b may facilitate a handover of the communication session from the MEC 210 b to a second, different MEC. Similarly, the nSMF 252 b may facilitate a handover of a second communication session from the other MEC to the MEC 210 b. Still further, the nSMF 252 b may facilitate establishment of multiple communication sessions using multiple radio access technologies (RATs). Such multiple communication sessions may be executed concurrent with one another. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, a handover and/or an establishment of multiple communication sessions may be initiated based on a variety of factors, such as for example received signal strength indicators (RSSIs), interference or noise levels, loads, resource utilization data, power levels (e.g., battery storage capacities), identifications of devices (e.g., make and model numbers), etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2C, an illustrative embodiment of a MAF 214 c is shown. The MAF 214 c may correspond to one or more of the MAFs 214 a-1 through 214 a-5 shown in FIG. 2A. The MAF 214 c may include one or more of an application function (AF) 224 c, a policy function (PF) 234 c, a filtering function (FF) 244 c, and a database function (DBF) 254 c.

The AF 224 c may be responsible for managing data/parameters associated with an application executed by a communication device, such as for example a communication device requesting a given service. For example, in the context of a streaming video service, the AF 224 c may be responsible for identifying a video player executing on the communication device.

The PF 234 c may be responsible for managing policies associated with service/license agreements. For example, the PF 234 c may be modified/updated in accordance with changes made by a service provider (e.g., a carrier) and/or a user. As an illustrative scenario, a service provider may change a power level of emissions in a communication system based on a regulation passed by a governmental organization/entity, whereas a user may alter a parameter in accordance with a security preference (e.g., a preference regarding whether user data is shared or not).

The FF 244 c may be responsible for filtering data in the system. For example, if a service in question corresponds to a streaming video service, and if the streaming video service supports/includes audio, and if a communication device receiving the video does not include a sound-output capability (e.g., does not include a speaker), the FF 244 c may remove/discard of data associated with the audio and only provide moving picture data to the communication device. In this manner, resources (e.g., bandwidth) of the system may be preserved. Still further, the FF 244 c may provide filtration with respect to policies managed by the PF 234 c. For example, the FF 244 c may select a bitrate for a playback of a video by the video player identified by the AF 224 c based on a tier/quality of service identified by the PF 234 c.

The DBF 254 c may maintain/store a subset (e.g., some, but less than all) of the parameters of a DB of a MAC (see, e.g., FIG. 2B: DB 234 b of MAC 230 b-1) for particular communication devices and/or particular services. The DBF 254 c may add the parameters when a communication session is handed-over to the jurisdiction of the MAF 214 c. Similarly, when the MAF 214 c no longer has jurisdiction over a communication session (e.g., due to a hand-over of the communication session and/or due to a termination of the communication session), the DBF 254 c may selectively purge the parameters (potentially as a function of a time-out).

As described above, one skilled in the art will appreciate based on the foregoing description, that an establishment and control/regulation/management of a communication session associated with a communication device (e.g., a UE) and a service may adhere to a hierarchical architecture, whereby functionality may be distributed to various devices/entities of a communication system at various levels of abstraction/management. Still further, aspects of this disclosure may support user/device mobility by enabling a communication session to be seamlessly ported/transferred, potentially across multiple radio access networks (RANs) and/or radio access technologies (RATs). For example, aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in connection with one or more types of RANs/RATs, such as for example LTE, 4G, 5G, 6G, WiFi, LteM, etc.

FIG. 2D depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 200 d in accordance with various aspects described herein. Aspects of the method 200 d may be implemented/executed/practiced in accordance with one or more of the systems, devices, and/or components described herein. The method 200 d may be executed to provide aspects of a service to a communication device.

In block 202 d, a request for service may be obtained (e.g., received) from a communication device. For example, as part of block 202 d the communication device may enroll with a network operator or service provider. Such enrollment may incorporate terms/conditions of a service license agreement (SLA). In some embodiments, the request of block 202 d may include an identification/indication of media requested by the communication device. In some embodiments, the request of block 202 d may include one or more credentials (e.g., a username and password, a personal identification number (PIN), a biometric credential (e.g., results of a fingerprint or retinal scan), etc.) that may be verified as set forth below. The request of block 202 d may include an identification of the service.

In block 206 d, the request (of block 202 d) may be verified. For example, any credentials that are included with the request may be compared with a plurality of verified credentials to ensure that the request is originating from an authorized user or device. The verification of block 206 d may include confirmation that a subscription fee or license is paid for. For example, the verification of block 206 d may ensure that the communication device (or, analogously, a user of the communication device) is authorized to use/consume the requested service.

Assuming that the verification of block 206 d is answered in the affirmative (e.g., the “yes” path is taken out of block 206 d), flow may proceed from block 206 d to block 210 d. Otherwise (e.g., the “no” path is taken out of block 206 d), flow may proceed from block 206 d to block 214 d.

In block 214 d, a signal/message/alert may be provided to the communication device that the service request (of block 202 d) was denied. The message may be presented by the communication device. The method 200 d may end as part of block 214 d.

In block 210 d, a signal/message/alert may be provided to the communication device that the service request (of block 202 d) was accepted. The message may be presented by the communication device.

In block 218 d, one or more parameters may be identified. For example, parameters of an SLA (e.g., a contracted for quality of service (QoS) or quality of experience (QoE) parameter), parameters of the communication device (e.g., a display capability, an audio capability, a processing speed, a memory or buffer constraint/capacity, an identification of a supported network or access technology, a location of the communication device [on an absolute basis or a relative basis], etc.), parameters of edge devices (e.g., loads [historical, current/actual, and/or scheduled loads], identification of supported network or access technologies, range of coverage, throughput available, bandwidth available, frequencies/frequency bands available, etc.), etc., may be identified as part of block 218 d.

In block 222 d, a first edge device may be selected to initiate/establish a communication session with the communication device. The communication session may be established in accordance with the parameters identified in block 218 d. The communication session may facilitate a provisioning of at least a part of the service (requested in block 202 d) to the communication device.

In block 226 d, the communication session (or parameters associated therewith) may be monitored. For example, as part of block 226 d, one or more of, e.g., received signal strength indicators (RSSIs), interference or noise levels, loads, resource utilization data, power levels (e.g., battery storage capacities), etc., may be monitored.

As part of block 226 d, a determination may be made regarding whether a parameter monitored in block 226 d falls below a threshold. For example, block 226 d may include a comparison of the monitored parameters with one or more thresholds. If the comparison is answered in the affirmative (e.g., the “yes” path is taken out of block 226 d), flow may proceed from block 226 d to block 230 d. Otherwise (e.g., the “no” path is taken out of block 226 d), flow may proceed from block 226 d back to block 226 d (e.g., the flow may remain at block 226 d), such that the parameters may continue to be monitored (e.g., the parameters may be obtained and compared with the threshold(s)).

In block 230 d, a determination may be made regarding whether at least a second edge device is available to facilitate at least a part of the service. If such an at least a second edge device is unavailable (e.g., the “no” path is taken from block 230 d), flow may proceed from block 230 d to block 226 d to continue monitoring the communication session parameters with the hope that the communication session parameters may improve. On the other hand, if such an at least a second edge device is available (e.g., the “yes” path is taken from block 230 d), flow may proceed from block 230 d to block 234 d.

In block 234 d, the communication session (of block 222 d) may incur a handoff from the first edge device to the at least a second edge device. The handoff may adhere to make-before-break connection principles in order to avoid a disruption in the service at the communication device.

In some embodiments, block 234 d may include an establishment of another or second communication session with the at least a second edge device. The second communication session may supplement the (first) communication session (established in block 222 d), which is to say that the communication device may engage in multiple communication sessions as part of acquiring/obtaining service. Stated slightly differently, the (first) communication session may facilitate a first portion/part of the service, and the second communication session may facilitate a second portion/part of the service.

Handoffs and/or the use of multiple communication sessions may incorporate multiple networks and/or access technologies. While the operations of block 234 d (and block 230 d) were described above with respect to a second edge device, aspects of the disclosure may be implemented with a common device (e.g., a common edge device) while invoking different access technologies.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 2D, it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methods described herein.

As described herein, aspects of this disclosure may intelligently manage user and control plane data/traffic in one or more networks or systems. For example, aspects of the disclosure may identify when data associated with a service should be transferred/conveyed as well as identify resources available to facilitate that transfer. Such decisions may be made with an eye towards reducing (e.g., minimizing) impact on a quality of service (QoS) or quality of experience (QoE), potentially as perceived by a communication device or a user. Aspects of the disclosure may balance/trade-off such QoS/QoE considerations, as well as security/privacy considerations, while considering objectives of a network operator/service provider in terms of realizing a scalable and efficient deployment/utilization of resources.

Aspects of the disclosure may be applied in connection with any number or type of service. To demonstrate, aspects of the disclosure may be applied, without limitation, to a streaming video service, a voice service, a text message service, a videoconference service, or any combination thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram 300 is shown illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized communication network in accordance with various aspects described herein. In particular a virtualized communication network is presented that can be used to implement some or all of the subsystems and functions of communication network 100, the subsystems and functions of system 200 a, and method 200 d presented in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2D. For example, virtualized communication network 300 can facilitate in whole or in part obtaining a request associated with a service from a user equipment, wherein the request comprises at least one credential associated with the user equipment, a user of the user equipment, or a combination thereof, responsive to the obtaining of the request, verifying that the request is valid by comparing the at least one credential with a plurality of verified credentials, identifying at least a first parameter responsive to the verifying, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with a service license agreement, the user equipment, a first edge device of a plurality of edge devices, or any combination thereof, selecting the first edge device or a second edge device of the plurality of edge devices in accordance with the at least a first parameter, resulting in a first selected edge device, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the user equipment to provide at least a part of the service to the user equipment. Virtualized communication network 300 can facilitate in whole or in part selecting a first edge device of a communication network to provide a first part of a service to a user equipment that is subscribed to the service, establishing a communication session between the first edge device and the user equipment in accordance with a first access technology to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first part of the service to the user equipment, determining that at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below a threshold, and responsive to the determining that the at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below the threshold, handing-over the communication session to a second edge device to facilitate a transfer of second data associated with a second part of the service to the user equipment, wherein the second edge device utilizes a second access technology to facilitate the transfer of the second data, and wherein the second access technology is different from the first access technology. Virtualized communication network 300 can facilitate in whole or in part identifying an application executed by a communication device in accordance with a service, identifying a first edge device of a communication network capable of providing a first portion of the service in accordance with a first access technology and a second edge device of the communication network capable of providing the first portion of the service in accordance with a second access technology that is different from the first access technology, selecting one of the first edge device or the second edge device as a first selected edge device, wherein the selecting of the first selected edge device is based on the identifying of the application, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the communication device in accordance with the access technology of the first selected edge device to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first portion of the service from the first selected edge device to the communication device.

In particular, a cloud networking architecture is shown that leverages cloud technologies and supports rapid innovation and scalability via a transport layer 350, a virtualized network function cloud 325 and/or one or more cloud computing environments 375. In various embodiments, this cloud networking architecture is an open architecture that leverages application programming interfaces (APIs); reduces complexity from services and operations; supports more nimble business models; and rapidly and seamlessly scales to meet evolving customer requirements including traffic growth, diversity of traffic types, and diversity of performance and reliability expectations.

In contrast to traditional network elements—which are typically integrated to perform a single function, the virtualized communication network employs virtual network elements (VNEs) 330, 332, 334, etc. that perform some or all of the functions of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. For example, the network architecture can provide a substrate of networking capability, often called Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI) or simply infrastructure that is capable of being directed with software and Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocols to perform a broad variety of network functions and services. This infrastructure can include several types of substrates. The most typical type of substrate being servers that support Network Function Virtualization (NFV), followed by packet forwarding capabilities based on generic computing resources, with specialized network technologies brought to bear when general purpose processors or general purpose integrated circuit devices offered by merchants (referred to herein as merchant silicon) are not appropriate. In this case, communication services can be implemented as cloud-centric workloads.

As an example, a traditional network element 150 (shown in FIG. 1), such as an edge router can be implemented via a VNE 330 composed of NFV software modules, merchant silicon, and associated controllers. The software can be written so that increasing workload consumes incremental resources from a common resource pool, and moreover so that it's elastic: so the resources are only consumed when needed. In a similar fashion, other network elements such as other routers, switches, edge caches, and middle-boxes are instantiated from the common resource pool. Such sharing of infrastructure across a broad set of uses makes planning and growing infrastructure easier to manage.

In an embodiment, the transport layer 350 includes fiber, cable, wired and/or wireless transport elements, network elements and interfaces to provide broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or access to content sources 175 for distribution of content to any or all of the access technologies. In particular, in some cases a network element needs to be positioned at a specific place, and this allows for less sharing of common infrastructure. Other times, the network elements have specific physical layer adapters that cannot be abstracted or virtualized, and might require special DSP code and analog front-ends (AFEs) that do not lend themselves to implementation as VNEs 330, 332 or 334. These network elements can be included in transport layer 350.

The virtualized network function cloud 325 interfaces with the transport layer 350 to provide the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide specific NFVs. In particular, the virtualized network function cloud 325 leverages cloud operations, applications, and architectures to support networking workloads. The virtualized network elements 330, 332 and 334 can employ network function software that provides either a one-for-one mapping of traditional network element function or alternately some combination of network functions designed for cloud computing. For example, VNEs 330, 332 and 334 can include route reflectors, domain name system (DNS) servers, and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) servers, system architecture evolution (SAE) and/or mobility management entity (MME) gateways, broadband network gateways, IP edge routers for IP-VPN, Ethernet and other services, load balancers, distributers and other network elements. Because these elements don't typically need to forward large amounts of traffic, their workload can be distributed across a number of servers—each of which adds a portion of the capability, and overall which creates an elastic function with higher availability than its former monolithic version. These virtual network elements 330, 332, 334, etc. can be instantiated and managed using an orchestration approach similar to those used in cloud compute services.

The cloud computing environments 375 can interface with the virtualized network function cloud 325 via APIs that expose functional capabilities of the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide the flexible and expanded capabilities to the virtualized network function cloud 325. In particular, network workloads may have applications distributed across the virtualized network function cloud 325 and cloud computing environment 375 and in the commercial cloud, or might simply orchestrate workloads supported entirely in NFV infrastructure from these third party locations.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a block diagram of a computing environment in accordance with various aspects described herein. In order to provide additional context for various embodiments of the embodiments described herein, FIG. 4 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment 400 in which the various embodiments of the subject disclosure can be implemented. In particular, computing environment 400 can be used in the implementation of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, access terminal 112, base station or access point 122, switching device 132, media terminal 142, and/or VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. Each of these devices can be implemented via computer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers, and/or in combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software. For example, computing environment 400 can facilitate in whole or in part obtaining a request associated with a service from a user equipment, wherein the request comprises at least one credential associated with the user equipment, a user of the user equipment, or a combination thereof, responsive to the obtaining of the request, verifying that the request is valid by comparing the at least one credential with a plurality of verified credentials, identifying at least a first parameter responsive to the verifying, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with a service license agreement, the user equipment, a first edge device of a plurality of edge devices, or any combination thereof, selecting the first edge device or a second edge device of the plurality of edge devices in accordance with the at least a first parameter, resulting in a first selected edge device, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the user equipment to provide at least a part of the service to the user equipment. Computing environment 400 can facilitate in whole or in part selecting a first edge device of a communication network to provide a first part of a service to a user equipment that is subscribed to the service, establishing a communication session between the first edge device and the user equipment in accordance with a first access technology to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first part of the service to the user equipment, determining that at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below a threshold, and responsive to the determining that the at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below the threshold, handing-over the communication session to a second edge device to facilitate a transfer of second data associated with a second part of the service to the user equipment, wherein the second edge device utilizes a second access technology to facilitate the transfer of the second data, and wherein the second access technology is different from the first access technology. Computing environment 400 can facilitate in whole or in part identifying an application executed by a communication device in accordance with a service, identifying a first edge device of a communication network capable of providing a first portion of the service in accordance with a first access technology and a second edge device of the communication network capable of providing the first portion of the service in accordance with a second access technology that is different from the first access technology, selecting one of the first edge device or the second edge device as a first selected edge device, wherein the selecting of the first selected edge device is based on the identifying of the application, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the communication device in accordance with the access technology of the first selected edge device to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first portion of the service from the first selected edge device to the communication device.

Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

As used herein, a processing circuit includes one or more processors as well as other application specific circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit, state machine, programmable gate array or other circuit that processes input signals or data and that produces output signals or data in response thereto. It should be noted that while any functions and features described herein in association with the operation of a processor could likewise be performed by a processing circuit.

The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which can comprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implemented in connection with any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or unstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to store desired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or “non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory or computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and comprises any information delivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media comprise wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 4, the example environment can comprise a computer 402, the computer 402 comprising a processing unit 404, a system memory 406 and a system bus 408. The system bus 408 couples system components including, but not limited to, the system memory 406 to the processing unit 404. The processing unit 404 can be any of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures can also be employed as the processing unit 404.

The system bus 408 can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. The system memory 406 comprises ROM 410 and RAM 412. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 402, such as during startup. The RAM 412 can also comprise a high-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 402 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 414 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal HDD 414 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 416, (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette 418) and an optical disk drive 420, (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 422 or, to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such as the DVD). The HDD 414, magnetic FDD 416 and optical disk drive 420 can be connected to the system bus 408 by a hard disk drive interface 424, a magnetic disk drive interface 426 and an optical drive interface 428, respectively. The hard disk drive interface 424 for external drive implementations comprises at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer 402, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refers to a hard disk drive (HDD), a removable magnetic diskette, and a removable optical media such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the example operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 412, comprising an operating system 430, one or more application programs 432, other program modules 434 and program data 436. All or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 412. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 402 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 438 and a pointing device, such as a mouse 440. Other input devices (not shown) can comprise a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a joystick, a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 404 through an input device interface 442 that can be coupled to the system bus 408, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an IR interface, etc.

A monitor 444 or other type of display device can be also connected to the system bus 408 via an interface, such as a video adapter 446. It will also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 444 can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display, a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving display information associated with computer 402 via any communication means, including via the Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to the monitor 444, a computer typically comprises other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 402 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 448. The remote computer(s) 448 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically comprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 402, although, for purposes of brevity, only a remote memory/storage device 450 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprise wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 452 and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 454. Such LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications network, e.g., the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 402 can be connected to the LAN 452 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 456. The adapter 456 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 452, which can also comprise a wireless AP disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 456.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 402 can comprise a modem 458 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN 454 or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN 454, such as by way of the Internet. The modem 458, which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 408 via the input device interface 442. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 402 or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 450. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are example and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.

The computer 402 can be operable to communicate with any wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and telephone. This can comprise Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bed in a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enables such devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out; anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, ag, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks (which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands for example or with products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wired Ethernet networks used in many offices.

Turning now to FIG. 5, an embodiment 500 of a mobile network platform 510 is shown that is an example of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, and/or VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. For example, platform 510 can facilitate in whole or in part obtaining a request associated with a service from a user equipment, wherein the request comprises at least one credential associated with the user equipment, a user of the user equipment, or a combination thereof, responsive to the obtaining of the request, verifying that the request is valid by comparing the at least one credential with a plurality of verified credentials, identifying at least a first parameter responsive to the verifying, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with a service license agreement, the user equipment, a first edge device of a plurality of edge devices, or any combination thereof, selecting the first edge device or a second edge device of the plurality of edge devices in accordance with the at least a first parameter, resulting in a first selected edge device, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the user equipment to provide at least a part of the service to the user equipment. Platform 510 can facilitate in whole or in part selecting a first edge device of a communication network to provide a first part of a service to a user equipment that is subscribed to the service, establishing a communication session between the first edge device and the user equipment in accordance with a first access technology to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first part of the service to the user equipment, determining that at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below a threshold, and responsive to the determining that the at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below the threshold, handing-over the communication session to a second edge device to facilitate a transfer of second data associated with a second part of the service to the user equipment, wherein the second edge device utilizes a second access technology to facilitate the transfer of the second data, and wherein the second access technology is different from the first access technology. Platform can facilitate in whole or in part identifying an application executed by a communication device in accordance with a service, identifying a first edge device of a communication network capable of providing a first portion of the service in accordance with a first access technology and a second edge device of the communication network capable of providing the first portion of the service in accordance with a second access technology that is different from the first access technology, selecting one of the first edge device or the second edge device as a first selected edge device, wherein the selecting of the first selected edge device is based on the identifying of the application, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the communication device in accordance with the access technology of the first selected edge device to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first portion of the service from the first selected edge device to the communication device.

In one or more embodiments, the mobile network platform 510 can generate and receive signals transmitted and received by base stations or access points such as base station or access point 122. Generally, mobile network platform 510 can comprise components, e.g., nodes, gateways, interfaces, servers, or disparate platforms, that facilitate both packet-switched (PS) (e.g., internet protocol (IP), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)) and circuit-switched (CS) traffic (e.g., voice and data), as well as control generation for networked wireless telecommunication. As a non-limiting example, mobile network platform 510 can be included in telecommunications carrier networks, and can be considered carrier-side components as discussed elsewhere herein. Mobile network platform 510 comprises CS gateway node(s) 512 which can interface CS traffic received from legacy networks like telephony network(s) 540 (e.g., public switched telephone network (PSTN), or public land mobile network (PLMN)) or a signaling system #7 (SS7) network 560. CS gateway node(s) 512 can authorize and authenticate traffic (e.g., voice) arising from such networks. Additionally, CS gateway node(s) 512 can access mobility, or roaming, data generated through SS7 network 560; for instance, mobility data stored in a visited location register (VLR), which can reside in memory 530. Moreover, CS gateway node(s) 512 interfaces CS-based traffic and signaling and PS gateway node(s) 518. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, CS gateway node(s) 512 can be realized at least in part in gateway GPRS support node(s) (GGSN). It should be appreciated that functionality and specific operation of CS gateway node(s) 512, PS gateway node(s) 518, and serving node(s) 516, is provided and dictated by radio technology(ies) utilized by mobile network platform 510 for telecommunication over a radio access network 520 with other devices, such as a radiotelephone 575.

In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic and signaling, PS gateway node(s) 518 can authorize and authenticate PS-based data sessions with served mobile devices. Data sessions can comprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to the mobile network platform 510, like wide area network(s) (WANs) 550, enterprise network(s) 570, and service network(s) 580, which can be embodied in local area network(s) (LANs), can also be interfaced with mobile network platform 510 through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted that WANs 550 and enterprise network(s) 570 can embody, at least in part, a service network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). Based on radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) or radio access network 520, PS gateway node(s) 518 can generate packet data protocol contexts when a data session is established; other data structures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can be generated. To that end, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 518 can comprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG) in 3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetized communication with disparate wireless network(s), such as Wi-Fi networks.

In embodiment 500, mobile network platform 510 also comprises serving node(s) 516 that, based upon available radio technology layer(s) within technology resource(s) in the radio access network 520, convey the various packetized flows of data streams received through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted that for technology resource(s) that rely primarily on CS communication, server node(s) can deliver traffic without reliance on PS gateway node(s) 518; for example, server node(s) can embody at least in part a mobile switching center. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, serving node(s) 516 can be embodied in serving GPRS support node(s) (SGSN).

For radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s) 514 in mobile network platform 510 can execute numerous applications that can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows, and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format . . . ) such flows. Such application(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (for example, provisioning, billing, customer support . . . ) provided by mobile network platform 510. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that are part of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gateway node(s) 518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a data session, and to serving node(s) 516 for communication thereafter. In addition to application server, server(s) 514 can comprise utility server(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, an operations and maintenance server, a security server that can implement at least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as other security mechanisms, and the like. In an aspect, security server(s) secure communication served through mobile network platform 510 to ensure network's operation and data integrity in addition to authorization and authentication procedures that CS gateway node(s) 512 and PS gateway node(s) 518 can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s) can provision services from external network(s) like networks operated by a disparate service provider; for instance, WAN 550 or Global Positioning System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s) can also provision coverage through networks associated to mobile network platform 510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same service provider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown in FIG. 1(s) that enhance wireless service coverage by providing more network coverage.

It is to be noted that server(s) 514 can comprise one or more processors configured to confer at least in part the functionality of mobile network platform 510. To that end, the one or more processor can execute code instructions stored in memory 530, for example. It is should be appreciated that server(s) 514 can comprise a content manager, which operates in substantially the same manner as described hereinbefore.

In example embodiment 500, memory 530 can store information related to operation of mobile network platform 510. Other operational information can comprise provisioning information of mobile devices served through mobile network platform 510, subscriber databases; application intelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates, flat-rate programs, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s) consistent with telecommunication protocols for operation of disparate radio, or wireless, technology layers; and so forth. Memory 530 can also store information from at least one of telephony network(s) 540, WAN 550, SS7 network 560, or enterprise network(s) 570. In an aspect, memory 530 can be, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as a remotely connected memory store.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter, FIG. 5, and the following discussion, are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented. While the subject matter has been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on a computer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination with other program modules. Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks and/or implement particular abstract data types.

Turning now to FIG. 6, an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 600 is shown. The communication device 600 can serve as an illustrative embodiment of devices such as data terminals 114, mobile devices 124, vehicle 126, display devices 144 or other client devices for communication via either communications network 125. For example, computing device 600 can facilitate in whole or in part obtaining a request associated with a service from a user equipment, wherein the request comprises at least one credential associated with the user equipment, a user of the user equipment, or a combination thereof, responsive to the obtaining of the request, verifying that the request is valid by comparing the at least one credential with a plurality of verified credentials, identifying at least a first parameter responsive to the verifying, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with a service license agreement, the user equipment, a first edge device of a plurality of edge devices, or any combination thereof, selecting the first edge device or a second edge device of the plurality of edge devices in accordance with the at least a first parameter, resulting in a first selected edge device, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the user equipment to provide at least a part of the service to the user equipment. Computing device 600 can facilitate in whole or in part selecting a first edge device of a communication network to provide a first part of a service to a user equipment that is subscribed to the service, establishing a communication session between the first edge device and the user equipment in accordance with a first access technology to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first part of the service to the user equipment, determining that at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below a threshold, and responsive to the determining that the at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below the threshold, handing-over the communication session to a second edge device to facilitate a transfer of second data associated with a second part of the service to the user equipment, wherein the second edge device utilizes a second access technology to facilitate the transfer of the second data, and wherein the second access technology is different from the first access technology. Computing device 600 can facilitate in whole or in part identifying an application executed by a communication device in accordance with a service, identifying a first edge device of a communication network capable of providing a first portion of the service in accordance with a first access technology and a second edge device of the communication network capable of providing the first portion of the service in accordance with a second access technology that is different from the first access technology, selecting one of the first edge device or the second edge device as a first selected edge device, wherein the selecting of the first selected edge device is based on the identifying of the application, and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the communication device in accordance with the access technology of the first selected edge device to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first portion of the service from the first selected edge device to the communication device.

The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wireless transceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, a power supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, an orientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operations thereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, or cellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth® and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special Interest Group and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1×, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise. The transceiver 602 can also be adapted to support circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 with a navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or a navigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device 600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independent device operably coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or a wireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 608 can represent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTY keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display 610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology for conveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In an embodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all of the keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 with navigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a user interface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, the communication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interface having graphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a user with a touch of a finger. The display 610 can be equipped with capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology to detect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on a portion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can be used to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functions of the user interface. The display 610 can be an integral part of the housing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independent device communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard in proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audio system 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI 604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologies such as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulation technologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energy to the components of the communication device 600 to facilitate long-range or short-range portable communications. Alternatively, or in combination, the charging system can utilize external power sources such as DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port or other suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS for identifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used for facilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618 can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motion of the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. The orientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology such as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device 600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations in degrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to also determine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wireless access points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time of flight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computing technologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits, and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executing computer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by the aforementioned components of the communication device 600.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or more embodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communication device 600 can include a slot for adding or removing an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card or Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). SIM or UICC cards can be used for identifying subscriber services, executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so on.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, as used in the claims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity only and doesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. For instance, “a first determination,” “a second determination,” and “a third determination,” does not indicate or imply that the first determination is to be made before the second determination, or vice versa, etc.

In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “data store,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile and nonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. Further, nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can comprise random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methods herein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising, these and any other suitable types of memory.

Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., PDA, phone, smartphone, watch, tablet computers, netbook computers, etc.), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network; however, some if not all aspects of the subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

In one or more embodiments, information regarding use of services can be generated including services being accessed, media consumption history, user preferences, and so forth. This information can be obtained by various methods including user input, detecting types of communications (e.g., video content vs. audio content), analysis of content streams, sampling, and so forth. The generating, obtaining and/or monitoring of this information can be responsive to an authorization provided by the user. In one or more embodiments, an analysis of data can be subject to authorization from user(s) associated with the data, such as an opt-in, an opt-out, acknowledgement requirements, notifications, selective authorization based on types of data, and so forth.

Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more features described herein. The embodiments (e.g., in connection with automatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a maximum value/benefit after addition to an existing communication network) can employ various AI-based schemes for carrying out various embodiments thereof. Moreover, the classifier can be employed to determine a ranking or priority of each cell site of the acquired network. A classifier is a function that maps an input attribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, . . . , xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is, f(x)=confidence (class). Such classification can employ a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysis utilities and costs) to determine or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed. A support vector machine (SVM) is an example of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM operates by finding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which the hypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from the non-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classification correct for testing data that is near, but not identical to training data. Other directed and undirected model classification approaches comprise, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification models providing different patterns of independence can be employed. Classification as used herein also is inclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop models of priority.

As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generic training data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing UE behavior, operator preferences, historical information, receiving extrinsic information). For example, SVMs can be configured via a learning or training phase within a classifier constructor and feature selection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automatically learn and perform a number of functions, including but not limited to determining according to predetermined criteria which of the acquired cell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which of the acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existing communication network coverage, etc.

As used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, the terms “component,” “system” and the like are intended to refer to, or comprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to an operational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, wherein the entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. As an example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration and not limitation, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by a software or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts, the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to execute software or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality of the electronic components. While various components have been illustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiple components can be implemented as a single component, or a single component can be implemented as multiple components, without departing from example embodiments.

Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method, apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communications media. For example, computer readable storage media can include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications can be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.

In addition, the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to mean serving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

Moreover, terms such as “user equipment,” “mobile station,” “mobile,” subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal,” “handset,” “mobile device” (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to a wireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wireless communication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video, sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. The foregoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with reference to the related drawings.

Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer” and the like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless context warrants particular distinctions among the terms. It should be appreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automated components supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacity to make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms), which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.

As employed herein, the term “processor” can refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited to comprising, single-core processors; single-processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Processors can exploit nano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance performance of user equipment. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

As used herein, terms such as “data storage,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components or computer-readable storage media, described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory.

What has been described above includes mere examples of various embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/or claimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue” indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that the steps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used in conjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates the beginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by other activities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indication reflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/or may be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further, while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, other orderings are likewise possible provided that the principles of causality are maintained.

As may also be used herein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupled to”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/or indirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. Such items and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions, communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functional blocks, and/or devices. As an example of indirect coupling, a signal conveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one or more intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format of information in a signal, while one or more elements of the information in the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can be recognized by the second item. In a further example of indirect coupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the second item, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more intervening items.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments described or shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure. For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can be combined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. In one or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can also be negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or without replacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure can be performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions of the subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from other steps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further, more than or less than all of the features described with respect to an embodiment can also be utilized. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a processing system including a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising: obtaining a request associated with a service from a user equipment, wherein the request comprises at least one credential associated with: the user equipment, a user of the user equipment, or a combination thereof; responsive to the obtaining of the request, verifying that the request is valid by comparing the at least one credential with a plurality of verified credentials; identifying at least a first parameter responsive to the verifying, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with a service license agreement, the user equipment, a first edge device of a plurality of edge devices, or any combination thereof; selecting one of the first edge device or a second edge device of the plurality of edge devices in accordance with the at least a first parameter, resulting in a first selected edge device; and establishing a communication session between the first selected edge device and the user equipment to provide at least a part of the service to the user equipment.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the service comprises a streaming video service.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with the service license agreement.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the at least a first parameter identifies a quality of service (QoS) parameter, a quality of experience (QoE) parameter, or a combination thereof.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with the user equipment.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the at least a first parameter identifies a display capability of the user equipment, an audio capability of the user equipment, a processing speed associated with the user equipment, a memory or buffer capacity associated with the user equipment, an access technology supported by the user equipment, a location of the user equipment, or any combination thereof.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least a first parameter is associated with the first edge device.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the at least a first parameter identifies a load experienced by the first edge device, an access technology supported by the first edge device, a range of coverage supported by the first edge device, throughput available at the first edge device, bandwidth available at the first edge device, frequency bands available at the first edge device, or any combination thereof.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: monitoring a plurality of parameters associated with the communication session between the first selected edge device and the user equipment; determining, in accordance with the monitoring, that at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters falls below a threshold; and responsive to the determining that the at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters falls below the threshold, determining that a second selected edge device included in the plurality of edge devices is available.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: performing a handoff of the communication session from the first selected edge device to the second selected edge device responsive to the determining that the second selected edge device is available.
 11. The device of claim 10, wherein the first selected edge device is operative in accordance with a first access technology, and wherein the second selected edge device is operative in accordance with a second access technology that is different from the first access technology.
 12. The device of claim 10, wherein an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the user equipment is maintained in the communication session during and subsequent to the handoff.
 13. The device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: establishing a second communication session between the second selected edge device and the user equipment responsive to the determining that the second selected edge device is available.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the communication session between the first selected edge device and the user equipment provides a first part of the service to the user equipment, and wherein the second communication session between the second selected edge device and the user equipment provides a second part of the service to the user equipment.
 15. A machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising: selecting a first edge device of a communication network to provide a first part of a service to a user equipment that is subscribed to the service; establishing a communication session between the first edge device and the user equipment in accordance with a first access technology to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first part of the service to the user equipment; determining that at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below a threshold; and responsive to the determining that the at least one parameter associated with the communication session falls below the threshold, handing-over the communication session to a second edge device to facilitate a transfer of second data associated with a second part of the service to the user equipment, wherein the second edge device utilizes a second access technology to facilitate the transfer of the second data, and wherein the second access technology is different from the first access technology.
 16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), an interference level, a noise level, a load, a power level, or any combination thereof.
 17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first edge device and the second edge device are different edge devices.
 18. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first edge device has a first range of coverage and a first throughput, wherein the second edge device has a second range of coverage and a second throughput, wherein the first range of coverage is less than the second range of coverage, and wherein the first throughput is greater than the second throughput.
 19. A method comprising: identifying, by a processing system including a processor, an application executed by a communication device in accordance with a service; identifying, by the processing system, a first edge device of a communication network capable of providing a first portion of the service in accordance with a first access technology and a second edge device of the communication network capable of providing the first portion of the service in accordance with a second access technology that is different from the first access technology; selecting, by the processing system, one of the first edge device or the second edge device as a first selected edge device, wherein the selecting of the first selected edge device is based on the identifying of the application; and establishing, by the processing system, a communication session between the first selected edge device and the communication device in accordance with the access technology of the first selected edge device to facilitate a transfer of first data associated with the first portion of the service from the first selected edge device to the communication device.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: filtering, by the processing system, second data in accordance with the identifying of the application, resulting in the first data; monitoring, by the processing system, a parameter of the communication session; determining, by the processing system and in accordance with the monitoring, that the parameter of the communication session falls below a threshold; and responsive to the determining that the parameter of the communication session falls below the threshold, causing, by the processing system, a handoff of the communication session to one of the second edge device or a third edge device of the communication network to facilitate a transfer of third data associated with a second portion of the service to the communication device. 